Chapter 4
dreaux davis
. . .
“I don’t understand why I’m here? I don’t fuck with Chop, and you know that.” I complained as I sat between my sisters, Dana and Dominique.
“I get what you’re saying, but he’s still family. Besides, Aunt Rita invited us, and we haven’t spent time with this side of the family in a really long time,” my sister Dana reasoned.
None of those things mattered to me. Auntie Rita may have been my mother’s sister, but she wasn’t someone I would consider family.
After my father’s funeral, she stopped checking on us within the first week.
Everyone knew about my mother’s struggles, but they never reached out or tried to lend a hand. We were out of sight and out of mind.
“Put a smile on your face. At least act like you want to be here.” Dana whispered as she jabbed me in the side with her elbow.
“They better be glad I came to this bullshit. That’s all I’ve got in me.
” I shrugged, then pulled out my phone. Chop and I were cousins, but we were never close.
He was one of those niggas who liked to pretend to be more important than he was.
Even when we were younger, he would brag about his clothes and shoes as if his mama wasn’t the best booster in the city.
“Please act like you’ve got some sense at this baby shower, Dreaux,” Dana warned. I wasn’t gonna do anything as long as they left me alone.
While we were talking, two women approached our table and sat down. My eyes locked on the pretty chocolate beauty with dimples. She looked like a model or a dancer. I tried not to stare, but lil’ mama was gorgeous.
When they sat down, I listened to my sister make small talk with them.
Danae was nosy by nature, so I wasn’t surprised when she started asking questions.
It was the answers that caught me off guard.
When Lil’ mama said Chop was her man, I knew the baby shower was about to take a turn for the worse.
Her aura deflated like a balloon when Dominique confirmed that Chop was our cousin and that Aunt Rita had invited us.
I should have known it was gonna be some bullshit the moment she invited us because she was a messy individual.
Lil’ mama remained silent while they played the first round of games, but her energy was loud. Her leg shook under the table, and I could tell it would only be a matter of time before she exploded.
“Can we all stand for the guest of honor?” The lady next to Aunt Rita asked. I assumed she must have been the girl’s momma.
“Are you fucking kidding me! What the hell is this?”
Everyone’s heads snapped towards the dark-skinned beauty as she got up from the table and stormed towards Chop and her cousin.
Her fists were clenched as she made her way closer to them.
A few people reached out to try to stop her, but she yanked away from them.
While most people found drama entertaining, I didn’t. That shit was weird to me.
“What are you doing here, Peace? You were supposed to be out with Raylee.” Chop stood there nervously, scratching the back of his neck.
“What the hell is going on, Chop? I thought you sent me out with Raylee to get ready for my welcome home party. What the hell are you doing here with my cousin? I thought you two hated each other.” Her voice cracked, and for some reason, it made me angry.
It was clear by the hurt on her face that Chop had played with her feelings, and that was some lame ass shit.
“I’m sorry, baby. It’s not what you think, I swear. I had a weak moment, and things went too far.”
I scoffed at his weak-ass excuse. How do you slip up and fuck your girl’s cousin?
Something about the girl seemed familiar, but I couldn’t figure out where I knew her from.
Chop and I didn’t live in the same city, and we definitely didn’t hang out in the same circles.
Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had seen her before. It wasn’t her looks, but her voice.
“Baby? Why do you keep calling this hoe your baby? I’m the one who has been holding you down for the last two years while she was locked up.
I’m the one who helped you take care of her daughter and made sure you were taken care of.
How can you stand here and disrespect me as if I hadn’t been your down ass bitch?
” The cousin fumed with her hands perched on her hips.
“Bitch! You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve.
We’re family, and you’re standing here with my man.
I’m the person who wiped your tears every time a man broke your heart.
It was me who picked you up off the floor when your ex was beating your ass for sport.
There has never been a time that I wasn’t there for you, and this is how you repay me?
I asked you to look after my family while I did my bid, but this is low. ”
Lil’ mama wiped the tears from her face and squared her shoulders. I could tell she was trying to be strong even though her world was crashing in front of her. It made me lose even more respect for my cousin, if that were even possible.
“Cry me a river, hoe. We fell in love while I was caring for your family, and now we’re making one of our own.
I’m glad you’re here, though, because now you can take your daughter with you.
I always told him that you were a hoe, and now I finally have proof.
” Her cousin snickered with a devious grin on her face.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. What did I do that would make you want to hurt me like this?” The chocolate beauty asked, tears pooling in her cheeks.
“You can cut the bullshit. Your dirty laundry has caught up with you, and now I get to have the last laugh. I told Chop that Promise wasn’t his, but he refused to believe it. My mama and I gave her a home DNA test, and it proved that Chop wasn’t her father.”
“That’s not possible!”
“You can save those tears bitch, because I’ve been waiting for this moment for the last year.
You always thought you were better than me because Chop took you shopping and kept your hair and nails done.
The least you could have done was keep your legs closed to other men.
Now, I get to give him the son he’s always wanted and help him forget all about you.
” The attendees gasped again as I shook my head.
This reminded me of one of those TV shows my granny used to watch when we were kids.
“I-I don’t understand.” Either Lil’ mama was a good actor, or she was truly confused because the despair on her face seemed real.
“Wait a minute. What do you mean Promise isn’t mine?” Chop seemed just as confused as lil’ mama. The other woman pulled out her phone and showed him something on it. His jaw clenched as anger settled in.
“You dirty bitch!” Chop roared as he lunged towards the chocolate beauty. Aunt Rita intervened while Lil’ mama sobbed violently.
“You had me feeling bad for fucking your cousin behind your back when you were out there doing your own dirt. This test says that I’m not Promise’s father. Who the fuck were you cheating on me with? Huh, bitch!” Chop was foaming at the mouth, and I could tell the situation was about to escalate.
“I don’t know how this is possible. I-I never cheated on you, I swear!”
“DNA doesn’t lie, but you obviously do. I should have known better than to trust you and that good girl act you put on.
Samara tried to warn me that you were doing dirt behind my back, but I never believed her.
I thought she was jealous because she wanted your life, but she was telling the truth the whole time.
You made me feel like shit for fucking other bitches, but you never mentioned that you were out there being a hoe, too.
It’s all good, though. Thanks to you, I found the love of my life and the woman I’m meant to be with.
Now take your daughter and get the fuck out of my face. ”
The girl who came in with Lil’ mama ran over to comfort her friend, who could barely speak because she was crying so hard.” The scene made me uncomfortable, and I couldn’t wait to get out of there.
“You have been a lame ass nigga for a long time, but Samara, you are a real grimy bitch. How can you sit in your cousin’s face and preach to her about leaving her man, only for you to turn around and get pregnant by him? What type of grimy bitch does that?”
“Oh, please. Raylee, you can save all that high and mighty talk because you’ve fucked a couple of people I was talking to.
I don’t owe you or her anything. Besides, you saw Chop and me together multiple times since she was locked up, and I bet you never told her.
You are no better than me because at the end of the day, you chose to be loyal to your cousin over your so-called friend.
Peace knew that I liked Chop first, but she went out with him anyway.
I never tried to get with him until after I saw her true colors.
If it was that easy for her to fuck someone else while they were on a break, it proves they weren’t as solid as she claimed they were.
I did her a favor if we’re being honest.”
“Bitch!” The chocolate beauty lunged for her, but a few of the guests grabbed her before anything happened.
“Somebody call the police! She’s trying to attack me, and I’m pregnant,” Chop’s baby momma screamed. Ol’ girl was carrying on as if she hadn’t done some fraud shit, and Chop was a bigger bitch than I originally thought.
I had witnessed enough of the bullshit, so I got up to smoke a blunt outside. My sister had ten more minutes before it was time to leave. I knew we shouldn’t have come in the first place.